Named for the Manatees that swim up to the spring during the colder months, the Manatee Springs State Park is an outdoor recreation park built around the first magnitude spring in the area.

The Manatee Springs State Park, prides itself in being a good place to escape from modern technology as cellphone and even satellite coverage is extremely limited in the area. The campgrounds in the park are located in the woods where wildlife is abundant. Swimming in the spring area is regularly open is often cited as a different experience because of the strong currents produced by the first magnitude spring. Unfortunately, swimming is closed when the manatees are present in the waters as the presence of humans in the water may stress them and that is highly discouraged.